Celebrations of Krishna's Birth, from a Bhagavata Purana
Unknown Artist
c. 1725–30
Medium
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
image: 22.9 × 15.2 cm · with mat: 49 × 36.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Edward L. Whittemore Fund
Accession Number
1988.70
About this artwork
The Hindu kingdom of Mankot in the western foothills of the Himalayas developed a bold style of painting in which figures in strict profile stand out against an intense yellow ground. Musicians enthusiastically proclaim the arrival of infant Krishna at the village of Vraj, where he was brought as a newborn to grow to maturity in safety among the cowherders. He was secreted away from the evil king Kamsa who wanted to murder the child on account of a prophecy that foretold his own death by Krishna...